Alan Alsop: 21/13.If Blue could pt on Whites head then I would go for the bar pt. As he can't, hitting would strip his position badly. Moving up from the back =is a risky position with White having extra builders on the 6 pt and 13 =pt. Making the 4 pt leaves two blots. The stronger plays unfortunately =are the weaker positional plays. I'll go for the boring but safe play. =
Chuck Bower: 21/13.
Problems 5 and 7 have a common theme: the race is close and Blue hasthe choice between loose and tight. As with problem 5, I don't likethe wide open plays. Here White has both a better board and an anchor. Hitting gives up the valuable midpoint and provides White with lots of returns. Moving off the 24-point leaves Blue with no anchor to go with his weaker homeboard -- not in the safe-vs-bold book. Meanwhile 21/13leaves zero blots, keeps the anchor, and adds a spare to a pointthat desperately needs one. Blue keeps a slight race lead in theprocess. We are so conditioned to strive for constructive gains inthe early game that quiet plays like 21/13 here are often overlooked.
Ilia Guzei: 21/13.
The race is even and my board is weaker, so I am not scattering any blots around. Making the 4 point also leaves a direct shot. Attacking with 13/7, 13/11 concedes the mid point early in the game - not called for yet. After 21/13 my position is solid and it's White who has to perform, otherwise I am well positioned to attack or make inner board points.
Oystein Johansen: 21/13.
Hitting 13/11 13/7* must be bad. I just don't want to start a blot hittingcontest when I have a weaker board. I would like an advanced anchor, but Ican't, and I don't like being attacked. My opponent will love to attack methe next roll since she has a stronger board and I don't have anything atall. Just to avoid being attacked the next roll, I think I must play 21/13.It's a bit static and inflexible, but I can't see anything else. Making thefour point also gives White to many chances.
Neil Kazaross: 21/13.
Hitting on our bar seems out of the question here when it breaks themidpoint and we are outboarded with no advanced anchor. White has decent 2's from the bar to counter attack inside if he misses the blot on the bar. Thus we look for something that doesn't risk splitting our armies so severely if it backfires.
We can make our 4 point , but that leaves many good options for White. It seems best to just leave our frontal position alone and look for something better with our back checkers. The linking 24-16 seems a bit better than 24-22, 21-15, but both these plays give White nice attacking shots along with his anchoring 6's and decent 5's. Can we do better, since these often overrated linking plays leave jokers ?
Noting that we have no spare on our midpoint, which is preventing us from hitting on our bar here, I think we can do better by simply running 21-13. This simply accepts our disadvantage with out leaving White some crushers. Note that White has only 8 forward checkers and still has 3 back checkers. I'll balance my position with 21-13 and hope for better rolls to follow. This is a slight preference for me over 24-16.
George Klitsas: 10/4, 6/4.
Here I don't like the wide open play 24/16, despite the duplication of 4's or the similar 24/22 21/15, which duplicates 3's instead. I don't like 21/13, either, because it isolates the back checkers. For another reason, I don't vote for 13/11 13/7*, as well (dividing Blue's army in two). Remains the constructive 10/4 6/4, which is my choice. This play leaves a shot, but White will lose a potential link for his back checkers, if he is able to hit only from Blue's bar point.
Laila Leonhardt: 24/16.
Out and About.Again an early game position, with even race and lots of possibilities andno cube turned.Get out and grab that flexibility. Sitting around lurking in the corner willonly get you in troublesome positions that you are going to find yourselfpassing a cube and setting up for next game.There will be time enough to play it safe once you have a position toprotect.
Snowie: 21/13.
Hitting is too rich. It would be okay if it just involved the bloton the bar point, but giving up the midpoint which is my outpost in theoutfield is too much of a concession. It is better to reinforce thisoutpost. My play has the disadvantage of stranding my back men, butcurrently they aren't in too much danger. Nothing else has much appeal.
Marty Storer: 21/13.
The classic safe-vs-bold factors favor a safe play overall.This weenie play gets Blue down to two checkers back againstthree, and maintains pressure against White's back checkersat small risk. White doesn't yet have enough of a forwardthreat to warrant 24/16 or 21/15 24/22. Making the 4 pointis all right, but I don't like White's double threat to hitand anchor. The anchor would nullify much of the goodeffect of making the 4 point.
Bob Stringer: 21/13.
I don't like 10/4, 6/4 because it needlessly leaves a shot. Also,making the 4 point isn't *that* big of an improvement, since inaddition to leaving a blot I have to give up a different point.24/16 looks too vulnerable -- with blots on both the 21 and 16points, when White has the better board. 24/22, 21/15 begs to beattacked. 13/11, 13/7* gives up the midpoint too early. Thatleaves 21/13, which is just fine. It gets a man to safety, andgives me something to play with on the midpoint.
Casper van der Tak: 24/16.
Blue is slightly ahead in the race, so let's try to activate those back checkers, and let them work together. 21/13 is the wrong idea - isolates the back checkers. 13/11 13/7* gives up the midpoint, isolate the back checkers, and risks a blot hitting contest while White's board is better and at White side of the board - risks losing ground in the race.
10/4 6/4 gives up an useful point to make another (a more useful one, that is true). The net gain is marginal, and in this position the play leaves all 3s, 21 and 54 to hit, which is too much.
Two plays seem logical 24/16 and 24/22 21/15. I prefer the first, since it leaves less shots that hit the Blue blot in the outfield, and since splitting to the 21 is better than splitting to the 22. 24/16 leaves more double-hits, but also more return hit variations. On balance, I like 24/16 best.
Kit Woolsey: 21/13.
Giving up my midpoint and leaving a lot of return shots seems to be too muchof a concession. My problem is outfield control, and my play gives me athird checker on the midpoint to play with. My back checkers aren't intoo much danger of being hemmed in. Making the four point looks nice, butthis gives up the ten point and leaves a lot of hitting numbers.
Chris Yep: 21/13.
10/4 6/4 makes the 4 point but gives White good 2s, 3s, and 4s. 13/11 13/7* fights for the bar point, but breaks the midpoint, while trying to slug it out with an inferior board. 24/22 21/15 and 24/16 are possible; I do believe that the outfield is the key area of the board in this position. However I prefer 21/13. Although it strands the back men it puts a valuable spare on the midpoint, which is likely to come in handy in the near future.
Summary: The panel was quite clear about choosing the simple runningplay. That spare on the midpoint can come in quite handy.
